Actress Skyler Samuels chatted about taking over the role of Aurora Teagarden in the hit Hallmark mystery series “Aurora Teagarden Mysteries: Something New.”
Jessica Harmon directed the movie from a script by Teena Booth.
Skyler Samuels stars alongside Evan Roderick, Marilu Henner, and Madison Smith. It will premiere on Friday, June 9th on Hallmark Movies & Mysteries.
Stepping into the role of Aurora Teagarden
On playing the titular role of Aurora, she said, “It has been so much fun getting to be Aurora, we have had such a great time filming. It was such a great group of people from our crew to our cast. It was just so much fun.”
“I think it was a fun challenge to get to play a character that already exists but reimagine them in a completely different way. I was able to bring to life elements of a character that people already know but infusing new elements to that character. I think the new Aurora will feel new to the audience,” she elaborated.
“Working with Madison Smith was such a blast, he is so good in this. Madison has a really good part in this, and he was great to work with,” she exclaimed. “Marilu Henner was awesome playing my mom, and Evan Roderick was just the best, especially getting into the Aurora and Arthur dynamic. I loved working with them.”
Background on ‘Aurora Teagarden Mysteries: Something New’
The synopsis is: Post-college, Young Aurora Teagarden (Skyler Samuels) finds herself back home near her mother, Aida (Marilu Henner) in Lawrenceton to pursue her grad degree.
Working as a teacher’s assistant in a crime fiction class, Aurora is struggling to settle on a thesis. To support her schooling and life, Aurora also waitresses at the local diner at night, where she shares her love of researching true crime with her friend Sally, who is set to be married, and police officer Arthur (Evan Roderick).
When Sally’s fiancé doesn’t show up at the wedding rehearsal, Maid of Honor Aurora gets Arthur to help her search for him. When they discover a body, everyone assumes it is Sally’s tardy groom, but when it turns out to be someone else, Sally’s fiancé becomes the main suspect.
“I hope that the new ‘Aurora Teagarden’ is familiar as it is exciting to the original audience, which was very loyal and loved the original ‘Aurora’ movies. I also hope our reimagination and take on the new Aurora and her whole world, which is very different than the original movies, also opens up an opportunity for a whole new audience, a younger generation of people. I hope we are able to reach a wide audience with this movie,” she elaborated.
The digital age
On being an actress in the digital age, Samuels said, “It’s a little overwhelming, I suppose. It is great that we can do so much remotely, but it has its drawbacks. The digital age has its pros and cons, it’s a double-edged sword.”
Advice for hopefuls in acting
For young and aspiring actors, she encouraged them to “stay in school if they can.” “have an education that you are passionate about, whether it’s school or a hobby outside of acting. That brings a lot of depth to who you are as an actor, and a lot of peace as a human being when you choose to be an actor for a living,” she suggested.
“It was really important for me to finish college, it took me eight years because I was working as an actor and paying to put myself through school so I didn’t get to finish the traditonal way but I did get to finish. Committing to that and having that happen alongside a growing career really made me feel like I could accomplish anything. It was really empowering,” she acknowledged.
Stage of his life
On the title of the current chapter of her life, Samuels said, “Farm Life.” “My fiancé and I just bought a house. I grew up in Los Angeles and lived in the city my whole life but I bought a little farm house in Georgia, so when I am not working I am living on my farm. It’s a very fun and strange new chapter. I am learning a lot of new things but it has been great,” she explained.
Success
“Initially, for me, success meant achieving what I set out to do,” Samuels said. “Success is continuing through something even when it’s challenging, so now it is much more process-driven as opposed to product-driven. It’s about committing to stick with it, whatever that may be.”
“One of my favorite mottos to live by is by Jamie Lee Curtis. She taught me almost a decade ago: ‘when in doubt, dealing with something challenging, just stay light and polite, and I really like that one, especially because it rhymes,” she said.
To learn more about actress Skyler Samuels, follow her on Instagram.
